"Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy." ~Thich Nhat Hanh

This week I have been working on understanding why some people dislike when others overtly show happiness or smile a little extra. Imagine when one is having a “feel good party” mentally singing to some “feel good” songs and forgets that people around don’t “feel that good”. Yes, this happened to me. I was bluntly asked “why do you always smile?” “I don’t understand why you do that. It makes me mad”. CRACK shattered my mental record player and I paused to think – fight or flight. I decided to fight, by this I mean I went into a brief explanation of “I feel good today after a rough week dealing with my back pain… I’m glad I am pain free for now”. As far as I can remember I have been known for my smiley face. People at times tell me my smile changes the way they feel about themselves (by this I mean positive J ). Why do I smile so much? I smile when I am genuinely happy, when I overcome a difficult situation and sometimes I smile because someone needs it. Do I smile all the time? Heck no. If I did smile all the time then I would be either smoking pot (to escape reality) or living in the “Loony Toon world” (I wished I had, sometimes this world gets too mean and/or too serious for me).Discovering there are some who are bothered by my smile, I don’t know if I am offended or sad. Ever since, I have been wondering whether I should smile less knowing how some feel about it and I keep coming to the conclusion - How can I? Since I truly believe the Universe has given me the ability to smile for a purpose beyond my knowledge, in addition to many a times taking away my chronic back pain, reducing my stress level, and helping me win my mental battles – There’s MAGIC in my SMILE J and I am grateful I have one. I know I like to “smile”. How about you? Have you ever wondered what does a ‘Smile’ mean to you? What does a “Smile” do for you? If you don’t have an answer check the links below maybe this could help you think.As for me, for the past 8 years my SKYPE status has been “Always Smiling”- I have no intentions to change it! Baker, J (2014). What Does Your Smile Say About You? WebMD.http://www.webmd.com/beauty/lips-smile/smile-personalityBody Language: What’s Really Behind a Smile? (2014)http://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/meaning-of-a-smile10 Hidden Benefits of Smiling (2014) PSYBLOG: Understand your mindhttp://www.spring.org.uk/2011/06/10-hidden-benefits-of-smiling.php